Cincinnati-area resident John Stevens had a unique talent … well, a unique and uncanny resemblance to a certain, very well-known celebrity named Mark Hamill, perhaps best known for playing the role of Luke Skywalker in the Star Wars movies.
Fluke Skywalker
John developed an alter-ego, a character named Fluke Skywalker. Dressing up as Fluke, he would attend Star Wars fan conventions where his resemblance was particularly noted. This led him to the Celebrity Impersonator circuit.
While most people would be content with seeking adoration in the world of cosplay, John decided that he could use his unique persona as a force for good – supporting a variety of charities, especially ones involving children.
On several occasions, as Fluke, he would appear at Children’s Hospital in Cincinnati, or he would help pass out toys around Christmastime with the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Greater Cincinnati.
The children seemed to adore him, often bouncing around with toy Lightsabers and reciting memorable quotes from the films.
For a brief time, Fluke Skywalker would be seen throughout the Cincinnati area, appearing at various local events and parades, a few Reds games, any place that would have him. He never charged for making an appearance – instead, he urged people to donate to the charities he supported, mostly the Ronald McDonald House.
When the real Mark Hamil found out about this – he was impressed. Via X Formerly Known As Twitter, Hamil applauded Fluke Skywalker saying, “To the guy who looks more like me than me: I truly admire your work for charity & for being in parades in Cincinnati on my behalf! Wishing you continued success, Mar[camel icon].”
Fluke’s Downfall
One day in 2023, someone uploaded some files to a cloud server somewhere in America. This triggered an automatic response form the server where all images were scanned by an AI model designed to detect illegal images. One file triggered a response. The system worked the way it was designed to, and it wasn’t long before law enforcement was made aware of the image.
Once the image was verified as containing CSAM (Child Sexual Abuse Material) – an investigation began. The IP address of the computer that uploaded the image was quickly traced back to a single computer – one belonging to Luke Skywalker impersonator John Stevens.
When the FBI and local law enforcement went to search the Stevens residence, they brought with them a particularly useful too – a dog that had a rare ability of his own – he could sniff out substances like triphenylphosphine oxide (TPPO) and hydroxycyclohexyl phenyl ketone – substances that are commonly used in electronic circuitry and little else. In non-scientific terms – these dogs are trained to search out computers, hard drives, CDs, and DVDs – no matter how cluttered the environment or how hidden the devices are.
Thanks to the Electronic Storage Detection (ESD) Dog, law enforcement learned that our celebrity impersonator had a little secret – one that he managed to keep well-hidden for so long. Something that would have ended his career as an educator earlier in life – and most certainly later when working with children’s charities.
I don’t know how important it is to note this – but the initial investigation discovered that even though Stevens was discovered to be an aficionado of CSAM, they found no evidence that he created any of it, or that he participated in any inappropriate activities with minors.
The truly scary part was that at the time of his arrest, due to his charitable work, a simple image search would easily find hundreds of pictures of Stevens as Fluke Skywalker with children taken at events like Star Wars Day at Riverfront Stadium or various conventions. Fluke Skywalker was also an avid user of social media which he often used not just for self-promotion but also to promote the various charities he supported.
A Warning
As someone whose day job is working for a business that takes child safety seriously – this story is a dire warning. Before his arrest, there was nothing to indicate that John Stevens had any inappropriate interest in minors. On the surface, he seemed genuinely interested in helping children, especially those with terminal or life-changing diseases or conditions. His arrest almost seemed unbelievable – that someone who had tried to do so much good for children in need could also have such evil and disgusting tastes.
People who work in the same industry as me, or who have similar jobs – we are constantly on the lookout for people like Stevens – and we are constantly told how they can easily hide in plain sight. We’re taught that anyone can be a child predator and are given numerous “red flags” to look out for. No matter how small or insignificant the warning sign might be, every concern must be completely examined and vetted.
Most of the organizations and charities that Stevens worked with, such as the Ronald MacDonald House, have similar policies and procedures in place – so I have to conclude that there were no red flags for them to investigate – no warning signs that could have been spotted. He was not on any offender registries; he had no criminal record to indicate his hidden interests.
These predators often have expert level skills in hiding their true feelings or interests – so it is a terrifying notion when one gets caught, especially when one was discovered by a computer program and not due to human interactions. His philanthropic history (the good he tried to do in the community) almost makes him seem like he would be above suspicion.
Yet, that is exactly what many child predators do. Their nature and desires make them want to be around children at all times, not just when their desires take them to truly evil places. It’s like going window shopping – going around to stores even though you have no interest (or ability) to buy anything. It seems perfectly normal, but what if it isn’t?
For some, this “doing good” can be seen as a counter-measure – something to balance out their unhealthy interest in children, as if somehow helping a child will make preying on another one less awful.
More than anything else, this story is a reminder for me – and I hope for everyone out there – that bad people come in all shapes and sizes, and we need to be constantly vigilant. Sometimes, the ones who seem the most angelic can be among the most evil.
Some Stories Get No Conclusion
After being arrested on 11 counts of pandering CSAM on July 26, 2023, many in the Tri-State area were left in shock. Police and court documents allege some of the evidence that prosecutors would have hoped to have used against him in court – however, that day never happened.
In early September 2023, John Stevens died, an apparent suicide. Not only would he not have to face any sentence for what he had done, but he also deprived the world of any public information that a criminal trial would produce.
In cases like this, there will always be questions – and whether or not there were any children directly abused at the hands of this man will remain to be seen. I certainly hope not – it would have been nice to know.
